Firm Uses Private Dinner Meetings to Help Assess Next Generation of Leaders

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has stepped up its efforts to groom a new generation of leaders, as it broadens the list of executives who could eventually run the Wall Street firm.

As part of those plans, Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's chairman and chief executive, has been arranging private dinner meetings between younger managers and the firm's directors, according to people familiar with the matter. The gatherings, which began last year, are designed to showcase the executives' expertise on a variety of topics that fall...